When I hear people talk about improving their cardiovascular shape I can’t help, but shake my head. Here’s why. There is nothing wrong with ‘better cardio,’ but what does that really mean and what does that mean when it comes to training fighters?
Fighters have very specific needs when it comes to conditioning, but I honestly believe that there is a right way and a wrong way. Before we get started, let’s ditch the term cardio as I find it’s way too generic. Instead, lets refer to this as energy system development.
There are 3 basic energy systems:
- Aerobic/oxidative
- Lactic ( anaerobic )
- Alactic ( anaerobic )
In todays post, I will discuss how to train the first energy system, the aerobic system and how to properly train MMA Fighter’s Aerobic Systems.
It’s important to note that I highly recommend every fighter trains with a heart rate monitor. That way, you will know exactly where your heart rate is at all times and this will help you develop specific energy systems at different times. You can buy a nice monitor for $75 and it’s well worth the money.
The Aerobic System
The aerobic system is your cardiovascular foundation. Without a good aerobic base, the two other energy systems cannot function optimally. Unfortunately, this system is vastly overlooked in the fight game. Aerobic conditioning might not be as sexy as high intensity interval training (HIIT) or tabatas, but without a good aerobic base, those types of training will leave you tired and overtrained.
When you train your aerobic system, your heart becomes more efficient. The heart stretches out, allowing it to pump more blood with each beat. This results in a lower resting heart rate and improved cardiovascular efficiency. If you have a resting HR under 55 beats per minute (bpm), you most likely already have a good aerobic base.
If you are in the 7o bpm range aerobic training should be your starting point. Again, this is where having a HR monitor is key. Traditionally, the aerobic system was trained via long distance running. Running is great in theory, but I have seen far too many overuse injuries resulting from running long distances so it’s not something I recommend. There are better ways to train MMA fighter’s aerobic systems than with long distance running. I will share some examples and guidelines below.
Guidelines for Aerobic Training
- 2 sessions per week
- Each session lasts roughly 1 hr
- HR should remain between 125-155 for the duration of the session
**Please note! If you are rolling, sparring and doing mitt work 2-3 times a week for an hour or so, you are most likely already developing your aerobic base at your MMA gym. If that is the case, you probably don’t need to add in the suggestions below.
Program #1 ** keep HR 125-155!!
Repeat circuit below three times through and you are done!
- Bike for 5 minutes
- Jump rope 5 minutes
- Heavy bag for 5 minutes
- Row for 5 minutes
Program #2 **keep HR 125-155
This workout will be set up in a circuit format. Pick 5 exercises that are relatively low impact. Work for :40 then rest for :20. This will basically give you enough time to get to the next station. To make this less boring, you can perform this in 2 clusters of exercises as suggested below.
Cluster #1
Do this for 25 minutes total or 5 times through.
- Jump rope
- Shadow box
- Light medball slam (3k or so)
- Bike or airdyne
- Agility ladder
Cluster #2
Do this for 25 minutes total or 5 times through.
- Jog
- Bike
- Speed bag/heavy bag
- Skip
- Light medball side throws (3k)
Hopefully this gives you some ideas on how to develop a good aerobic base for success in your MMA training. There are many other ways to train the aerobic system, but please don’t overlook aerobic training when preparing for a fight.
Check out a full six week conditioning program for MMA fighters in my e-book, DIRECTUS, available for download for just $3.99.
Hey man just been reading your article an was wondering if you could point me in the direction of a good heart monitor to buy, as all the ones I’ve came across are really expensive. Cheers
I’m a fan of the polar ft4- a fair amount of my athletes use it. Its great and fairly cheap. Good luck
So how long do you continue working cardiac output before you move on to the higher intensity stuff? For example, I’ve got a RHR of 52 and outside of my MMA training, I have two days to do either LISS or HIIT. Would you say I’m already benefiting from Aerobic Conditioning from the MMA sessions alone? That would be 2 sessions (1 hr each) per day. Should I be moving on to high intensity and if so, would I still benefit getting in a 1 hour aerobic conditioning outside of my MMA sessions
You can absolutely add in other Energy system work. I’d start with alactic capacity repeats on 1 day and glycolytic power work on another.
A 3rd aerobic day is always good, just make sure that you aren’t destroying yourself with your exercise selection
Thanks for the reply. Just discovered this site and your articles are informative and a pleasure to read. Keep it up!